diddi dance

diddi dance Reading & Wokingham receives CAA Gold Accreditation

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The team at diddi dance, the brand behind the much loved preschool dance classes, are extremely proud to announce their franchise diddi dance Reading & Wokingham has achieved Gold accreditation from the Children’s Activities Association (CAA). The CAA is the only not-for-profit, industry-led association to set and raise standards in all organised children’s activities across the UK and this achievement clearly showcases the team at diddi dance Reading & Wokingham’s passion for excellence.

Set-up by leading industry experts in 2015, including diddi dance Founder Anne-Marie Martin, the establishment of the CAA (a Community Interest Company) has revolutionised the children’s activities sector. After Anne-Marie completed the accreditation process for diddi dance in 2016, she decided to offer the same accreditation to each diddi dance Franchise. This past month Anne-Marie & diddi dance were thrilled to personally accredit franchisee Andrea Bickford and her franchise diddi dance Reading & Wokingham.

Over 200,000 children a week now attend a CAA member activity and it is a truly fantastic endorsement for diddi dance Reading & Wokingham to be part of this ground-breaking national initiative. Andrea’s commitment to achieving Gold for her franchise shows her dedication to demonstrate to her industry peers and her fellow diddi dance franchisees that she excels at what she does as well as giving her parents the reassurance they deserve when selecting the best classes for their little ones.

Andrea opened diddi dance Reading & Wokingam in January 2014 and now runs numerous classes in the area, and has gone on to grow it into one of the most recognisable diddi dance brands in the nation, Becoming a Gold accredited member of the CAA is the latest achievement in the brand’s 6 year success story supporting dancing toddlers weekly.

It is staggering to learn that before the CAA, there was no national, independent association in the UK for the children’s activity sector as a whole. Through the development of the CAA Code of Practice and via their thorough accreditation, for the first time, parents can now easily make simple, informed decisions when choosing from the wealth of children’s activities out there. Just by asking whether the provider is a CAA member, a parent or carer can get reassurance on important issues such as insurance, health and safety, criminal record checks, training, qualifications, class content and much more.

As one parent said regarding the CAA –

With so many clubs and classes to choose from it’s so hard to know which are the best and what I should be asking when I leave my children in the care of a class leader. In the past I just wrongly assumed kids’ activities must have to be regulated. Knowing that the CAA has asked those important questions to help keep my child safe is fantastic – so now I just look for their logo!”

Having achieved Gold CAA accreditation means that diddi dance Reading & Wokingham has been independently verified as having met or exceeded all the necessary elements of the CAA Code of Practice. This accomplishment offers parents peace of mind when selecting an activity from the myriad of providers out there.

Anne-Marie, commented on the accreditation process and Andrea’s success:

“Using the CAA accreditation system to ensure all our franchisees are performing to not only our high standards but also a nationally recognised association too is so important to us. Andrea is a great asset to our franchise network, she is motivated, hard working and driven, and through her attention to detail its fantastic she has now been awarded her gold accreditation”.

Adding to this Andrea of diddi dance Reading & Wokingham said:

“I always set myself and my team the highest of standards, as I truly believe that “if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well!” I pride myself on the quality of service I provide my customers and, wherever possible, I try to exceed their expectations, so it means a lot to be awarded Gold accreditation from the CAA. With so many toddler classes around today, I believe it’s really important for parents to have the peace of mind that the activity they’ve chosen is setting the benchmark for quality control in all aspects of the business”.

Congratulations again to Andrea and her franchise. If you would like more information about diddi dance Reading & Wokingham visit the Facebook page here or read all about them by clicking here

diddi celebrates EWIF finalists announced 2019

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The EWIF (Encouraging Women Into Franchising) Awards 2019 finalists have been announced!

We are extremely proud that our very own Anne-Marie Martin, founder of the diddi dance franchise, has been selected as one of only three finalists for the highly prestigious EWIF Inspirational Woman Award 2019 sponsored by Little Voices.

On being nominated, Founder of diddi dance, Anne-Marie Martin said,

“To have been selected as a finalist in this most prestigious of EWIF’s awards, in the Inspirational Woman of the Year 2019 category, is truly an honour. I am hugely proud of our diddi dance journey and where we have come in 16 years of franchising, in supporting women to create their own work/life balance running a business as part of the diddi dance family. To have our hard work recognised by EWIF is a real tribute to our success as a franchise”

 

In addition, two of our own diddi dance franchisees have also been announced as finalists in their categories – Charlotte Foxley who runs North Essex & South Suffolk,  is amongst five finalists for the title of Woman Franchisee of the Year 2019 sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants and Emily Norman who runs Bristol, is one of three selected finalists for Young Woman in Franchising of the Year 2019 (Under 30) sponsored by Darwin Gray. Here’s what they both say on their nomination:

Charlotte Foxley, finalist for Woman Franchisee of the Year 2019, said,

“I feel extremely honoured to have been selected as a finalist in this category and to have the hard work that I’ve put in to build my diddi dance franchise during 2018 recognised in this competitive field by EWIF”

 

 

 

Emily Norman, finalist for Young Woman in Franchising (Under 30) 2019, said,

“I am very excited for this year’s awards and feel very proud to have made it as a finalist in this category by EWIF. To achieve recognition as a young diddi dance franchisee within a male dominated industry by a prestigious awards body is a great honour”

 

 

We are exceptionally proud of our diddi dance finalists and applaud the hard work they have all put in throughout 2018 to reach this point. We wish them all the best of luck for the EWIF Awards 2019, which will be held this year on Wednesday 1st May.

What’s On 4 Kids 2019 Awards are now open

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The What’s On 4 Kids 2019 Awards are open for nominations!

We would love if you could spare a moment to nominate diddi dance as a company and put your reasons in the box provided by visiting here

What’s On 4 Kids UK  – Children’s Activities, a site where you can search for local activities, classes, groups and events for kids, children and babies. You can find hundreds of fun things to do with your children and family.

We thank you for your continued support 🙂

diddi dance nominated for a Club Hub Award 2019

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diddi dance are excited to announce we’ve been nominated for the Club Hub Awards 2019 in the following categories:

  Franchise of the Year
  Leader of the Year

Club Hub is an award winning kids directory on children’s activities all over the UK and these awards celebrate the UK’s best children’s clubs and classes, along with leaders and volunteers, party providers, places and activity-based products for children – as nominated and voted for by the experts – parents, carers and parents-to-be.

The more nominations we receive the more likely we are to become a finalist so if you can spare a minute please nominate us then wish us luck 

 

diddi dance Wins Awards for Best Childhood Dance Classes

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SME News Announces the Winners of the 2018 UK Enterprise Awards and diddi dance is one of them!

toddler early years dance class award winning

We are thrilled with the news that this year we have been awarded Best Early Childhood Dance Classes. The 2018 UK Enterprise Awards showcase the very best businesses from across the UK’s corporate landscape.

Jessie Wilson, Awards Coordinator, discusses the success of this year’s programme:

“UK based enterprises are renowned for their diversity and ability to progress through tough times. As we turn our backs on the recession it is now more important than ever to seek out hard working, innovative and diverse business owners and offer them a platform to further succeed, and as such it is my pleasure to announce the publication of this year’s awards. Congratulations to all of my winners; you have each exhibited determination, passion and a will to succeed which I hope continues into the future.”

Founder of diddi dance, Anne-Marie, said of the win:

“At diddi dance we are really honoured to have won this award. It always makes us feel proud to gain industry recognition for our business. I feel the reason for our success is down to our passion. Not only do we love working with children, and seeing them develop, but also being able to offer other individuals a flexible working opporutnity

SME News prides itself on the validity of its awards and winners. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend those most deserving for their ingenuity and hard work, distinguishing them from their competitors and proving them worthy of recognition.

See all the other deserving winners in the winners supplement and find us on pg 70 or read our feature below.

diddi dance Franchisees win at 2018 Conference

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Earlier this month, 30 June & 1 July, diddi dance held its annual Conference where all franchisees come together to network, share best practice and take part in workshops & listen to presentations from industry experts to help them better their diddi dance business.

franchise franchisee conference business

A highlight of the conference for founder Anne-Marie, and we think the rest of the diddi dance network, is the diddi dance Awards which recognise those franchisees that are excelling in certain aspects of the business. Both a winner and highly commended are given in each award and here they are:

Anne-Marie commented on the awards:

We love doing our annual awards recognising those franchisees in our network that go above and beyond with their diddi dance. We find motivation and inspiration our fun awards invoke is of great benefit to the all the franchisees and really helps them drive their business over the next year. We can’t wait to see who wins next year!

Now we are pleased to announce the 2018 winners are…

franchisee award winningdiddi debutante for the fastest growing franchise from a franchisee who launched in 2017 (based upon overall business growth):

Highly Commended – Tatiana from diddi dance Oxford & Surrounding

Winner – Wendy from diddi dance South Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Ayr & Surrounding

franchisee award winningdiddi developer for the franchisee who has taken over a territory (through resale or transfer) and developed the business in all aspects:

Winner – Liz C from diddi dance South East Hampshire & Chichester

diddi diva for the biggest growth by a franchisee from June 2017 to May 2018:

Highly Commended – Anuschka from diddi dance North Londonfranchisee award winning

Winner – Emily from diddi dance Bristol

diddi dancer for the most enthusiastic and “en pointe” teacher as nominated by their franchisee:

Higly Commended – Sacha, who teaches for Emily from diddi dance Bristol
franchisee award winning
Winner – Natalie, who teaches for Lisa J from diddi dance West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, Tadley & Marlow

diddi discusser for the franchisee fully utilising and actively using social media & online resources to their best ability:

Winner – Lisa J from diddi dance West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, Tadley & Marlow

diddi doer for the franchisee with most innovative marketing & promotions:franchisee award winning

Highly Commended – Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk

Winner – Caroline from diddi dance Swindon, Cirencester, Chippenham, Tetbury & Surrounding

diddi driver for the most motivated and driven franchisee doing their best to drive and progress their business:franchisee award winning

Highly Commended – Julia from diddi dance North & Central Leeds

Winner – Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk

diddi dude for the franchisee that is most supportive and active amongst the network – as voted for by the other franchisees:
franchisee award winning
Highly Commended – Emily from diddi dance Bristol

Winner – Julia from diddi dance North & Central Leeds

diddi deliverer, a new award this year, for the franchisee who is running the best business overall:

Highly Commended – Emily from diddi dance Bristolfranchisee award winning

Winner – Emma H from diddi dance North Shropshire, Wrexham & North West Stoke-on-Trent

 

And lastly our biggest award each year is diddi dame which goes to a franchisee who has made an outstanding contribution to diddi dance in the last year:

Winner – Nicola B from diddi dance Lancester, Preston & Kendal

We couldn’t be more proud of our award winning franchisees. To book a place in one of their classes visit our FREE trial page today

diddi dance nominated in What’s On 4 Little Ones 2018

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diddi dance award nomination preschool toddler dance classesdiddi dance are excited to say we are nominated for two What’s On 4 Kids Awards 2018!

Best Franchised/Licensed Pre-Schooler Activity – 15 to 50 franchisees/licensees
Best Franchised/Licenced Children’s Party Entertainment or Supplier

These awards celebrate the UK’s best children’s clubs and classes, along with leaders and volunteers, party providers, places and activity-based products for children – as nominated and voted for by the experts – parents, carers and parents-to-be.

If you can spare a minute please vote for us then wish us luck for a win!

diddi dance Franchisee wins at 2018 mumandworking awards

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The winners in the prestigious 2018 mumandworking Awards were recently revealed in an inspiring, high-rofile ceremony, as hosted by NatWest, and Charlotte Foxley from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk was amongst them!

These pioneering awards were launched over 8 years ago to celebrate the UK’s leading lights in the world of flexible working – those amazing and inspiring individuals, businesses, charities and networks demonstrating and showcasing how working practice and family-life can go hand in hand with huge potential benefits for all involved.

Charlotte Foxley from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk was revealed as the winner in the Franchisee of the Year category. Several categories were judged by a panel of leading business women, very familiar with the challenges juggling a family and a career can bring. Susannah Schofield OBE, said this about Charlotte “I loved her ethics and passion to deliver the franchise above and beyond, more than just about making money however – Charlotte runs her business to make a difference”.

Charlotte said: “Winning Franchisee of the Year at the mumandworking awards was just such an honour and a BIG surprise! I am just so proud of what I have done with diddi dance in the 2.5 years since I opened. Thank you to everyone who has been to one of our classes, booked us for a party, had a demo and to all the nurseries and pre-schools who we see throughout the year. I am especially proud of the launch last year of our special needs only classes which are now available after school and during the holidays for children with additional needs up to age 8.’’

Never has the importance of flexible working been so documented. ‘Mumpreneurs’ continue to generate billions for the UK economy, supporting in excess of 200,000 jobs and while we have witnessed significant positive changes in government policy towards flexible working in recent years, there’s still a long way to go. Research in 2016 suggested improvements in flexible working opportunities for mums would enable and empower huge numbers to return to the workplace with the potential to generate a massive £60+ billion boost to the UK economy.

Organisers were delighted therefore at the wealth and standard of the submissions for this year’s awards, which were run with media partner Key Women in Business. Hundreds of nominees entered, across 14 exciting categories ranging from ‘Flexible Business of the Year’, to ‘Inspiring Business Parent’ with special categories for bloggers, team members, franchisors and technology and innovation. 2018 saw the highest number of finalists ever plus a record number of votes from throughout the UK.

Suzanne Borrell, Events Director for mumandworking.co.uk concluded:

‘The wealth of nominations, the thousands of votes, our esteemed VIP judging panel and the range of nominees reflects the significant and growing support for the promotion of flexible working. The really exciting news is that so many finalists seem to have used the event as a springboard – they made amazing connections, were inspired to tackle something new or take on a challenge or just dared to dream bigger. So this isn’t just about one day – but what happens next – and we are privileged to be involved. Huge congratulations to all our finalists on their success!”

diddi dance Shortlisted for 2018 Top Franchise Awards

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For the third year running diddi dance Franchising has been shortlisted in the WorkingMum Top Franchise Awards.

The Awards, sponsored by HSBC and Encouraging Women into Franchising, recognise franchisors both big and small who have empowered women in business – not only by providing a successful flexible business model, but by giving franchisees the advice and support they need to succeed. There is also an award celebrating the achievements of franchisees which is voted for by the public. Voting is open until 1st April and so far around 4,000 people have voted.

This year we are shortlisted in two of the six categories – Supportive Franchisor Awards & Family Friendly Franchise Award. We previously won the Family Friendly Franchise Award in 2016 so would love to win both awards this year after being nominated for them both last year.

The 2018 Top Franchise Awards winners will be announced in an online ceremony on 17th May 2018 and will be judged by Gillian Nissim, Founder of Workingmums.co.uk; David Kerrigan, Franchise Director at HSBC Bank plc; Amy Leite, Associate Solicitor at Aquabridge Law; and Helen Walbey, National Policy Chair for Health & Diversity at the Federation of Small Businesses.

The ceremony will include an awards presentation and a Q&A session with franchise experts. This event provides a great platform to celebrate passion and achievement within the franchise industry.

Gillian Nissim, founder of Workingmums.co.uk, said: “We are delighted at the quality of entries to this our third year of the Top Franchise Awards. The Awards run in tandem with our Top Employer Awards, which were created to acknowledge the very best in flexible working and diversity and we believe that there is much that employers can learn from these flexible, family friendly business models. Our surveys show that self employment is an avenue that many women are interested in exploring in order to get more control over their work life balance and because they are interested in the challenge presenting by going it alone – and Workingmums.co.uk offers a lot of advice, information and case studies for those who do in recognition of those challenges. The best franchises offer both the benefits of self employment, but without some of the risks associated with striking out alone since franchisors have already demonstrated the viability of their business models.”

Andrew Brattesani, UK Head of Franchising at HSBC, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the Workingmums.co.uk Top Franchise Awards for the second year running and to support innovative family friendly franchises. HSBC has over 25 years’ experience in the franchise industry. Franchises offer the flexibility of self employment combined with a tried and tested business model.  We hope that the Awards will provide a host of ideas and inspiration for all those looking to a future in franchising.”

To be part of our Top Franchise visit our Is It For You? page and find out a bit more about our franchise opportunity today!

All about diddi dance Wigan, Leigh & Warrington

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diddi dance Franchisee Rebecca who runs diddi dance Wigan, Leigh & Warrington recently became the 4th diddi dance franchise to be fully accredited by the Children’s Activity Association. To read all about her recent achievement just click here.

Because of this success, we at diddi dance wanted to take the time to tell you all about Rebecca and diddi dance Wigan, Leigh & Warrington here!

How long have you been with diddi dance?

I have been a diddi dance Franchisee for 15 months.

What did you do before joining diddi dance?

I studied Dance and Drama at college, after which I gained employment in Sales and Marketing for a media advertising company. I left my employment to raise my two children and from there I needed something to suit being a full time primary carer for my children. Working with children was something I really wanted to do as my two are growing up so quickly.

What do you love most about diddi dance and running your own business?

I love diddi dance because of the children mainly. I have built so many wonderful friendships with the children and their grown up who brings them to class. Running my own business means I can make my own hours and still be there for my own children when they finish school, no after school clubs or holiday clubs needed.

What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of diddi dance?

The best thing is just simply the people I have met, not just my wonderful children and grown ups, but the people who rent their rooms to me so I can hold classes. All the other wonderful ladies who are franchisees at diddi dance who are such an inspiration. The fantastic ladies at Head Office, without them I would not be here as the support they give is outstanding. I have also just had a teacher come on board with me and I am so lucky to have her she is amazing. The people and relationships I have with all these people, make me feel I am not on my own, something that was a concern when I thought about working for myself.

What has been a highlight for you since taking on your diddi dance?

Seeing children flourish, sometimes when a child first comes they are so shy and won’t leave their grown ups side, but when you get the break through and they come up to you and chat and dance away like they have been coming to class forever, really melts my heart. I love when grown ups tell me they speak of me at home and they run into class excitedly to show me something. Just heart warming. I love the 0-5 age group, never a dull moment.

What is something you are looking forward to as you continue with your diddi dance franchise?

I love it when I welcome younger siblings to diddi dance after their older brother or sister has left us for nursery or school. I see it happening more often now I have been running for a while, and it’s so nice to say hello again.

What do you enjoy most about your diddi dance?

My diddi dance allows me, flexibility, fantastic opportunity to meet new people and build relationships and work with the fantastic children I see every day.

What do you enjoy most about being your own Boss?

The freedom it has given me to carry on being a Mum to my children. I know when I grew up my mum was home for me after school and I always wanted to do that for my children too.

What does the CAA accreditation mean to you?

I think this accreditation is a fantastic way to show just how passionate diddi dance and I are about the quality of our classes. So much thought hard work and dedication goes into the classes and the process of a child’s time with us at diddi dance is carefully considered. We follow rules and procedures to ensure the classes are safe, reliable and reach the high standard in quality.

And finally, what is your favourite diddi dance theme and why?

I love the Jive theme, so energetic and the Song Mr Wolf is fantastic. I am however so looking forward to the Country theme in a couple of terms time, finally an excuse to shout Yeeee Hahhhh. In class

 

diddi dance Wigan, Leigh & Warrington currently has multiple classes running across their exclusive area. They are as follows:

Mondays

  • 9.45am – Leigh Tesco Extra, The Loom, Derby Street, Leigh WN7 4BA
  • 9.45 am – Chapelford Primary, Santa Rosa Boulevard, Great Sankey, Warrington WA5 3AL

Tuesdays

  • 10am – Winwick Leisure Centre, Winwick, Warrington WA2 8LQ

Wednesday

  • 9.45am – Chapelford Primary, Santa Rosa Boulevard, Great Sankey, Warrington WA5 3AL
  • 10am – Pipsqueaks Play Cafe, Orrell Road, Orrell, Wigan WN5 8QZ

Friday

  • 10am Culcheth Sports Club, Charnock Road, Culcheth WA3 5SH

Saturday

  • 9.30am – Chowbent Hall, Bolton Old Road, Atherton, Atherto M46 9DS
  • 9.45am -Burtonwood Scout Hut, Chapel Lane, Burtonwood, Warrington, WA5 4HW

To attend any of the above classes or to express interest in having a FREE trial get in touch with diddi dance Wigan, Leigh & Warrington today! You can email them on [email protected], call 07703 769335, message them on Facebook at @diddidanceWigan or fill in her free enquiry form by clicking here.

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